§ 14-76. Larceny, mutilation, or destruction of public records and papers. - North Carolina Statutes

§14‑76.  Larceny, mutilation, or destruction of public records and papers.

If any person shall steal, orfor any fraudulent purpose shall take from its place of deposit for the timebeing, or from any person having the lawful custody thereof, or shall unlawfullyand maliciously obliterate, injure or destroy any record, writ, return, panel,process, interrogatory, deposition, affidavit, rule, order or warrant ofattorney or any original document whatsoever, of or belonging to any court ofrecord, or relating to any matter, civil or criminal, begun, pending orterminated in any such court, or any bill, answer, interrogatory, deposition,affidavit, order or decree or any original document whatsoever, of or belongingto any court or relating to any cause or matter begun, pending or terminated inany such court, every such offender shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor;and in any indictment for such offense it shall not be necessary to allege thatthe article, in respect to which the offense is committed, is the property ofany person or that the same is of any value.  If any person shall steal or forany fraudulent purpose shall take from the register's office, or from anyperson having the lawful custody thereof, or shall unlawfully and willfullyobliterate, injure or destroy any book wherein deeds or other instruments ofwriting are registered, or any other book of registration or record required tobe kept by the register of deeds or shall unlawfully destroy, obliterate,deface or remove any records of proceedings of the board of countycommissioners, or unlawfully and fraudulently abstract any record, receipt,order or voucher or other paper writing required to be kept by the clerk of theboard of commissioners of any county, he shall be guilty of a Class 1misdemeanor. (8 Hen. VI, c. 12, s. 3; R.C., c. 34, s. 31; 1881, c.17; Code, s. 1071; Rev., s. 3508; C.S., s. 4255; 1993, c. 539, s. 37; 1994, Ex.Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)